What are you doing here?

I was caught by this phrase, "Then the Word of the LORD came to Elijah and spoke to him, 'What are you doing here Elijah?'" (1 King 19:9).

Wait! We are told in John 1:1,14 that Jesus is the Word. This caused me to pause and dwell. Was this Jesus? What are the similarities between the Hebrew word "debar" and the Greek word "logos?" How might these two be one? 

By way of understanding, we need to know that the Hebrew word "debar" implies action. It is all about movement taking place. It is event driven with the idea of it being spoken, written, illustrated or experienced. While the Greek word "logos" focuses on the reason, an idea, the order of the divine mind. 

Oh boy, once I reminded myself of these truths I reread Elijah's story and was so blown away.

God met Elijah in his moment of great fear and grief. He was scared to death, so much so, he said he wanted to die and pretty much told God, "Take my life." All he could see was darkness, no light, even though he had just slayed all the prophets of Baal and called down fire from heaven. Isn't it crazy how we can be so bold in the LORD in one thing and terrified in another? The simple word of one person can knock us down! Ugh!

But here is the cool part. God met Elijah here in his point of great fear to the point of asking God to take his life. 

God did not rebuke Elijah. God was active in the circumstances to show Elijah how he could regain his divine mind and be able to reason again and move forward against evil.

God sent an angel (a messenger) with food and water to remind Elijah to eat, drink and rest up because he had a long journey ahead. All long journeys require proper sustenance! 

In this, God provided kind provisions. He could have just given Elijah manna that just appeared, but instead God baked bread on hot coals. Imagine how the very scent of warm baked bread would awaken the sense of home, comfort, and peace. 

God used questions to help Elijah process his "why" in the circumstance. "Why are you here, Elijah?" Elijah had left the height of a mountain top to hiding in a cave of mountain far far away. 

God listened then God spoke truth. God didn't negate what Elijah felt or said, God simply spoke the truth that countered the lies that were in his head.

God gave Elijah purpose. "Go anoint so and so!" And then God showed Elijah how those actions would provide the protection he needed. The strength of the ones he would anoint would become a wall of defense. Strength upon strength. 

God made sure Elijah knew he was not alone! Not only would he anoint mighty warriors, but there were many others! There were 7,000 others who have not bowed to the false gods of Baal! 

God showed how Elijah would be able to build his wall of defense against the evil Queen Jezebel and resided him to look outside himself to see what God sees. 

BUT in all of this... it required Elijah to do his active part and he needed to use his divine mind to become rational in how he moved forward to do what God revealed. He needed to receive God's messengers, God's provision, God's plan, and God's voice. He needed to be active in engaging his mind and body to do as God willed. 

Hmmm. Pretty amazing! 

Where might you be hiding? 

Which part of this story might you need to listen to and obey?

The Good Path

"My cup runneth over..." Psalm 23:5c

I saw these in my sketch book and had to share.

Bask in the goodness that in the LORD our cup runs over. This means He makes life full. We have more than we can fathom or imagine. He spills out of us we we follow Him.

"Surely, Goodness and Mercy follow me all the days of my life..." Psalm 23:6

Why? Because goodness and mercy follow us wherever we go. If we follow the Good Shepherd then these two character qualities will follow us around. They are His character running over and outside us and wherever we go they follow along because of Him in us.

He pours in and then He pours out.

We follow Him and His mercy and goodness follow us.

It is such a beautiful path.

Shalom. Shalom, y'all!

Jesus provided for His mother (John 19:25-30)

Today's widow's story is all about the gift of provision. Again, notice it is all about generosity.

I had to ask myself, "Who would you trust to care for your mom?"

Hmmm. I am as protective over my mom as I am my kids. 

What blows my mind is that Jesus was suffering the most excruciating pain and every breath hurt much less talking. 

Yet, He made a plan for His mom. "John, here is your mother. Mother here is your son." 

Jesus trusted John. 

I also love the gift of presence in suffering. In this case Jesus' deathbed was a vertical beam of wood covered with His nail stained blood. The women and John were there because of love. Love is present no matter how bad the pain. 

Yeah, there are some very deep lessons in the widow stories. 

Who might you need to give the gift of presence in their pain? 

Have you pondered the care of your mom? Who might you trust? What might that look like?

It is important to be in the Word, to be with Jesus, to be transformed.

Shalom! Shalom!

The Generous Widow: The motive of giving (Luke 21:1-4)

I love that generosity is not based on the amount given, but on the heart behind the one giving it. Jesus never criticized the rich givers in this story, but He praised the poor widow. But we often imply that Jesus criticizes the rich because of Matthew 6:2, "Do not sound the trumpets like the hypocrits do so they have the glory of man."

See, the money boxes in the temple were in the women's court because they couldn't go any further in to the temple. It had to be there so all could give.

Most believe this story is about the freewill offering. This is when we give from the heart not what was commanded. It is for the glory of God. He first gave to us so we give to Him. 

According to the Mishna the treasurey boxes had a metal trumpet funnel on top so that when your money dropped, it could be heard by the noise it made. It would trumpet the clink of the coins hitting and then rolling in until they dropped. 

Have you ever used a coin funnel at a museum? It is so much fun to watch the coins roll their way down. They move faster as the funnel gets smaller and smaller until it drops. If made of metal they are very loud.

I had no idea this was a thing in the temple until today. 

Who made such a device and why? Oh my!

Literally, no one could give a free will offering that was not seen or heard! 

Yet, in Matthew 6 Jesus says, "do not sound the trumpet like the hypocrits do." I wonder if this is the point behind this parable?

Jesus challenges us further by saying to not let your right hand know what the left hand does. 

Hmmm. Yeah, well, I am not very good at keeping secrets from myself. How do I have right motives? Or when do I have right motives? Sometimes, I can talk myself out of giving because I worry about the motive. Eeck. Ugh. Now, that is bad, too.

God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7). I guess when I just focus on the joy of blessing, my motives get straight. It is no longer my motive. It is simply about blessing because I am blessed. This means my heart must be full of thanksgiving and gratitude.

Isn't it amazing how many life lessons God is teaching us through the widow's stories in the Bible!

Of course Jesus would use one of the least of these to humble us and help us grow. The amount she gave would have only been able to buy a few pieces of bread. 

Father, will You please teach us how to give with the right motives and yes to be willing to give out of our poverty and not just our wealth. 

I do wonder how this might change from person to person, LORD. I recognize our poverty can be so different as well as our wealth. These can come in time, talent, or treasure. Forgive us for wrong motives. Let us give out of the overflow of Jesus in us in whatever ways You may ask for Your glory and not our own. Thank you for all You have given us. In Jesus' name, amen

Will Jesus find faithfulness when He returns?

"When the Son of Man returns will He find people on earth who have faith? (LUKE 18:8)

Who needs to tap into faith more that a desperate widow?

Widows were and still are in many cultures forgotten or ignored simply because their need is great. In some cultures, women are treated as property. The culture is set up to honor the men and when the man is gone, the one whom the woman depended upon is no longer there to care for her. In some cultures, even today the property and even the children could be taken by the husband's family leaving the widow even in greater destitution. 

I love how Jesus used the persistent widow as an illustration of persistent prayer.

He wanted the disciples and yes, us, too, to understand that if an evil judge in his frustration would answer a widow in her persistent petitions how much more so for the loving Father who sees, knows, and hears. 

He is present.

He will answer.

This question caused me to ask, "So, what does faithfulness look like based on this story alone?" Oh my! If we could just honor this one parable.

Faithfulness is always in a conversation with God.

It is relentless. 

It is enduring.

It is honest.

Faithfulness trusts that God sees.

Faithfulness knows God hears.

Faithfulness knows God answers.

Faithfulness serves out of peace, love, and hope.

Faithfulness is confident assurance your need will be met.

Faithfulness is persistent to the point that it knows no season. It just IS!

The contrast to faithfulness is showing no respect to God. 

It is evil. 

The contrast to faithfulness is showing no respect to others and their needs.

What you do to the least of these, so you also do to me (Matthew 25:40).

The contrast to faithfulness is serving others out of frustration.

Not a want to, but a I have to so I can get what I want.

The contrast to faithfulness is serving others out of fear.

It asks, "How might they harm me if I don't give them what they want?" Rather than asking, "how can I bless to be a blessing?"

Have you ever been frustrated with a persistent request? Have you ever answered and given in because of fear or frustration?  

Yeah, me, too. Ugh. 

God wants us to live in holy expectation through a holy conversation while serving out of peace, love, and hope. 

It sounds so noble. I know you might be thinking, "Yeah, well, you may think you are so perfect and get it."  

Actually, not at all. None of us do. That is the whole point. God does not expect perfection from us, but a persistent pursuit of Him so that He can work in us and through us. Not to perfection, but into a relationship that is full of peace, love, and hope so we can know Him and trust Him as He is in the process of growing us.

He wants us to understand He has not forgotten us or our needs. He desires to be with us through them. 

So, let's talk to Him. 

Always praying. 

Always trusting Him.

Knowing He sees.

He hears.

He answers.

Father, please help us to be faithful! We love You! We seek You today! We give You praise for always being present, always seeing, always hearing, and always answering. Make is persistent in seeking You in all things for Your glory in us and through us! 

It is important to be in the Word, to be with Jesus, to be transformed! 

Shalom! Shalom!

A Lesson Learned from Tabitha's Generosity (Acts 9:36-43)

I struggle with today's widow story because I know that it will bring up questions I feel ill equipped enough to answer. The story of Peter raising Tabitha (also known as Dorcas) from the dead can be quite interesting to discuss cross-culturally (Acts 9:36-43).

As I honestly paused to let her story dig deep into me today, God has allowed me to see something. 

I simply thought, "God, what is the purpose of Tabitha's story?"  So often when it is taught the focus is on the miracle. Don't get me wrong. I love the miracle and I believe in God doing miracles today. But, God's stories are always more. 

Then I saw it. MANY PEOPLE BELIEVED. 

Tabitha's life story demonstrated her focus was on kingdom mindedness. She worked hard to bless the poor and needy. She sewed coats and clothes to give away. She used her talents to bless others. The widows grieved her presence. Why? I imagine it was because they saw good in her and knew the reality of it based on how they were showing Peter the clothes she made. She built up her community.

But, I needed to go to the original language to see if I was on the right track. Oh my!  God does so bless me.

In Bible Hub, the Topical Lexico states that this story reveals the kingdom priorities unfolding the mission of the church. There are 13 other occurrences for alms or giving to the poor in scripture. This word never occurs without prayer, worship, or the gospel attached to its story.

Let's consider this for a moment. Generosity found in giving to the poor always has these three attached to it.

Prayer... talking to God and seeking His wise counsel in our giving.

Worship... giving God praise and thanksgiving for who He is. We give because He first gave to us.

Gospel... the good news that God sent Jesus to all people. Generosity is a character trait of God so it opens doors for God's story to be seen and heard. 

Since, this story brings focus on the miraculous that Peter raised the dead. It astounds us, but the reality is this is not my daily norm. It isn't the norm and that is part of its beauty. Miracles should not be normal.  So, I need to focus on what principles in this story will affect my daily norm to build the kingdom? I will always watch for God's miraculous blessings, but I need to focus on my daily living.

Even with the miraculous this should be our question. How does it build the kingdom of God?

What if we should look at this passage as if it encourages us to focus on the motive of our heart? Whether we look at Tabitha or Peter's actions, we observe the motive of their hearts build the kingdom of God. Both of them lived out of kingdom building.

So, if someone wants to focus on raising someone from the dead, we can ask, "What is your motive?"  

I once sat in a funeral service when my children were young and a pastor declared he was going to raise my kid's friend from the dead. The mom next to me grabbed my leg and asked, "What do we do?"  I said, "Pray!" It wasn't that either of us didn't believe that God can do anything. But, we could discern the motives were wrong. It could hurt the body of Christ. And it did. I personally had to call one of my pastors to process what happened.

Sometimes, when I ask God in my serving, "Was my motive pure?"  I honestly cannot say it has always been pure. Ugh. This is wrong. I guess this is why David prayed, "LORD search me and know me. Renew a steadfast spirit within me." 

It is so easy to work through wrong motives. I guess this is why alms giving always includes talking to God, worshipping God, and telling His story. It takes the focus off of us or I better just say it. It takes the focus off of me.

The motive of the heart is so important. Whether in grief as a widow serving or as a ministry leader serving, we need to ask, "What is the motive of my heart?  Am I kingdom focused?  How will this build the kingdom of God?  How will this give God glory? Will this cause those involved to draw closer to God?""

I love the miraculous and I love the mystery of how God moves, but it is not my role to try to manufacture it. I am to be simple and sincere in what I say and do. 

My role is to remain faithful and to have heart motive that seeks to build the kingdom of God. True transformation will reveal a heart of compassion that releases easily and moves about in rightness that is born of righteousness. Rightousness is all about being full of grace, mercy, giving, and it will have the automatic outflow of worship that cause the body of Christ to know, to grow, and worship our God.

LORD, please let our giving and serving draw others to know, to grow and to worship You. Amen.

Shalom, shalom!

Reflections on my commissioning

Today's widow story has me thinking deeply about my own story. It is a different kind of grief though. I told Greg last night that my heart just hurts with what is happening with women in ministry these days. I am not talking about debating whether a woman can be a pastor. I am simply talking about our calling to ministry. I am always caught with surprise that we must get our shackles up over such things. A tree is always known by its fruit. 

In 1995 when I graduated with my Masters degree from SWBTS, I was commissioned by a SBC Church alongside my ministry partner in starting a church plant. He was ordained. I was commissioned. It was the same service, same message, same prayers, and same people laying on hands. I say people because it was both men and women. 

I accepted the rhetoric at the time. Honestly, I didnt know enough to ask questions or I didn't have the maturity to say anything. And it really didn't matter. This SBC regional team recognized God's calling on my life. They were willing to lay hands on me because they saw the movement of God's call upon my life. They affirmed the Holy Spirit in me and set me apart for ministry.

I now know more than ever that there is great weight in laying hands on someone for the call to ministry. This means you bear the weight of both their success and failures. I have had both. 

But, there is also something so powerful about a group saying, "We believe in you. We see the Holy Spirit at work in you. We acknowledge your kingdom value as set apart. We touch you with the intent to pass blessing upon you. We endorse what God is doing and give you the authority to do it. May the Holy Spirit pour out in you and through you to bring unity and build up the fellowship of the saints."

When this happens there is a gift of remembrance that brings about a desire to honor and to fulfill all that has been prayed.

I have never taken lightly my call or commissioning. I work hard to live it simply and sincerely. Through the years God has convicted me over and over to not bury my talents. He has given me many and grown some that have been so unexpected. Again, I have done this well and I have done this poorly. But in it all I seek to move in the Holy Spirit's fruit.

Yet, I shall remain faithful with the talents I have been given. God did not say to me, "Tara, this talent was a gift to only be shared with half of the population." He gave me my talent to use it for His glory. I am to remain faithful to His message that He loves us so much that He sent His Son to live, die, and rise that we might have life. I am called to bear good fruit and not focus on the talent, gender, race, socio-economic status, educational status or even age.

So, I study. I teach what I learn. I open my home. I love on the one who comes. I draw and paint hoping I can tell a story well. I train so others are equipped and able to do likewise. I listen and give counsel usually based on lessons from my own stupidity, suffering, and pain. Begging all the while that I bear good fruit. I want to be an oak of righteousness and I want to grow countless forests wherever I drop seeds of faith. 

In it all, I seek to honor those I serve and partner with. I do everything I can to listen and obey if it gives God glory. I repent often. More than you want to know. But in it all I try to love fully and see each person the way God sees them. I beg for love for those I don't like. Yeah, we all struggle with humans.

I seek to live and bear fruit that can only be born by the Holy Spirit. I pray for His work in me and through me. I beg for His path because I know it will lead me straight to Jesus and set me straight. 

Most of the time I feel awkward because I am so stinking deep in my thoughts. I am more apt to make you cry than laugh. Don't believe me? Ask all the people who come to see me and they dont know why, but they start crying. Lol. It's not me really. It is God's work. He likes to break up those broken places so healing can take place. 

So, yeah, today's widow story has brought out so much in me. Here is the deal. I AM A FEMALE. I AM CALLED BY GOD TO GO MAKE DISCIPLES like the Samaritan woman who led her village to Jesus or like Phoebe who traveled around carrying Romans while reading and explaining it wherever she went. Or like Priscilla as she and her husband, Aquila, discipled Apollos.  

I seek to focus on bearing good fruit. If God should teach someone in the other half of the population through me then all I can say is "If God can use a donkey to save a man's life, He can even use me." 

I am so thankful for the church and regional group that decided to commission me as a ministry leader. And for every church and ministry since that has allowed me to partner shoulder-to-shoulder in the faith. Thank you for believing in me. 

At the moment, I am surprised by how God used the complaining Greek widow's story in Acts 6:1-7 to help me process my grief for how women in ministry are being treated. 

It is my heart cry that it awakens hope for those who might read this. If God can use me, He can use you. 

It is important to be in the Word, to be with Jesus, to be transformed, y'all! 

Shalom. Shalom.